Tai'an Hot Springs

Tai'an sits up a narrow valley in the Miaoli mountains, in Atayal country, with sodium bicarbonate springs that come out clear and slightly slippery, the type Taiwanese call beauty water. Resorts and guesthouses line the valley, and there are wild pools along the riverbed for anyone willing to walk down. The valley is thickly forested and the road ends a short way beyond the springs at trailheads into the mountains.

What you actually see

• The bicarbonate springs - clear slippery water, the type known as beauty water.
• The riverbed pools - wild bathing along the river below the resorts.
• The valley - steep forested slopes closing round the road.
• The Atayal villages - communities along the valley and above it.

When to go

October to April is the hot-spring season and the water is most welcome in cold weather. Summer is warm and the valley is used for river swimming instead. Typhoon rain can close the road.

Honest expectations

Resort quality varies widely and prices at the better ones are high. The wild pools require scrambling down to the riverbed and can be washed out after rain. The road is narrow and slow.

Nearby

Nanzhuang is west, and Dahu is south.